Necticut



(Model) H. W. HU'KE, & F. P. WESTON. KNITTING MACHINE NEEDLE.

No. 600,692. Patented Marp15, 1898.

HERMAN W. HUKE AND FREDERICK P. WESTON, OF TORRINGTON, CON- NECTICUT, ASSIGNQRS TO THE EXOELSIOR NEEDLE COMPANY, OF

SAME PLACE.

KNITTING-MACHINE NEEDLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 600,692, dated March 15, 1898.

Application filed June '7, 1897. Serial No. 639,644. (ModelJ To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, HERMAN W. HUKE and FREDERICK P. WESTON, citizens of the United States, residing at Torrington, in the county of Litchfield and State of Connecticut, have invented an Improvement in Knitting-Machine Needles, of which the following is a specification.

Needles for knitting-machines have been made with a slot or mortise receiving a latch having an eye at one end, and a pivot-pin is passed through the eye. Thelatch must swing with freedom upon the pivot-pin; but in practice the pivot-pin is liable to become loose and project, and if there is any projection or bur at either end of the pivot-pin it is liable to injure the fibers of the yarn.

Various efforts have heretofore been made to secure the pivot-pin into the needle in such a manner that the same is not liable to become loose, and with this object in view the pivot-pin has been sufficientlyshortfor the metal of the needle to be closed inwardly against the ends of such pin. The pin has been riveted up with the spread ends in conical countersinks and the central part of the pivot enlarged by the end pressure, and in some instances the metal of the needle has been counterbored at the ends of the pivothole, so that the heads of the rivet have been spread into the counterbores, with the surfaces of the heads below the surrounding surfaces of the needle, and the central portion of the pivot enlarged, and in other instances the ends of the pivot have been spread or headed up by concave dies in order that the edges of the riveted-up heads might be below the surrounding surfaces of the needle.

The pivot-pin has also been screw-threaded within the tapped or screw-threaded holes in the body of the needle. In all these different forms in Which the pivot-pins have been secured we have found difficulties to exist either in the manufacture of the needles or from the pivots becoming worn or loose and projecting so that the fibers of the yarn are injured by the ends of the pivot-pins.

By the present invention we are enabled to secure the pivot-pins in the needles in the most permanent and reliable manner andat the same time to protect the ends of the pivotpins from contact with the fibers of the yarn by dressing off or removing the ends of such pivot-pins, so that they are below the surrounding surfaces of the needle.

In carrying out thepresent improvements the needle is made in the usual manner, with a mortise or slot receiving the eye of the latch,

and the pivot-pin ispassed through the holes in the needle and through the eye of the latch, and such pivot-pin is rigidly secured in position either by riveting up the ends of such pivot-pin or by screwing the same into the tapped holes of the needle, and the ends of such pivot-pin are dressed 0E, so that they are below the surrounding surfaces of the needle. Thereby the edges of the pivot-pin at the ends are sufficiently below the normal surfaces of the needle to remain out of con tact with the fibers of the yarn, and such yarn is protected from any projections or roughness that may arise from the pivot-pin becoming loose or in consequence of the needle being bent or straightened and thereby tending to form burs or; roughness of any character at the ends of the pivot-pin.

We prefer to dress off or finish the ends of the pivot-pin by revolving tools or cutters and simultaneously to remove sufficient of the metal immediately adjacent to the ends of the pivot-pin for leaving the surface of.

such needle above and closely adjacent to the edges of the ends of the pivot-pin, so that should there be or arise any roughness -of such ends it will be sufficiently below the normal surfaces of the needle to be out of contact with the fibers of the yarn, thus protecting such fibers of the yarn from injury, and by these improvements the damage from the pivot-pin becoming loose is reduced to a minimum.

Inthe drawings, Figure 1 illustrates a knitting-needle With the present improvement. Fig. 2 is a section, and Fig. 3 a side elevation, representing in magnified size the pivot 5 of the latch after the same has been riveted up in one of the well-known forms. Fig. lis

a section, and Fig. 5 an elevation in a similar magnified size, of a pivot-pin after the ends of the pivot and the surrounding metal have been dressed off or otherwise formed substantially flat and belowthe surrounding surfaces of the needle. Fig. 6 is a section, and Fig. 7 an elevation,illustratin g the present improvement when the ends of the pivot are dressed off or removed by circular cutters, grinders, or mills revolving on axes perpendicular to the axes of the pivot-pin; and. Fig. 8 is a section, and Fig.9 an elevation, of ascrew-threaded pivot-pin with the ends similarly removed or ground off.

In some instances the countersinks in the needle at the ends of the pivot-holes are longest in the direction of the length of the needle, as illustrated in Fig. 3, in order that the pivot may not be liable to turn after the ends have been spread or riveted upin any desired manner, and in some cases the middle portion of the rivet will be spread or enlarged in consequence of the upsetting of the pivot-wire by the end pressure in riveting up the head, and in other instances the wirewill not be enlarged in the middlein the act of riveting up the ends of such pivot-wire, but will remain substantially uniform in diameter, as illustrated in Fig. 4, and where the pivotwire is screwed into the tapped or screwthreaded holes in the needle, as illustrated in Fig. 8, it is advantageous to applya pressure at the ends of the pivot-wire, so as to slightly enlarge the screw-threaded pivot-wire and cause it to bind firmly into the holes in the needle. The central part of the pivot-wire may also be enlarged by the end pressure.

In all instances the ends of the pivot-wire are 1 finished off by suitable tools and with a revolving motion, so as to leave the ends of the pivot-wire below the surrounding surfaces of the needle.

In Figs. 4 and 5 the ends of the pivot-wire are represented as substantially fiat and at the bottom of circular recesses, rotary tools being provided which revolve substantially in line with the axis of the pivot-wire, so as to dress off or finish the surface of the metal wire are represented as dressed off by rotary cutters, grinders, or tools, the axes of which are perpendicular to the axis of the pivotwire, such tools being sufficiently wide to dress off or remove the ends of the pivot-Wire to a sufficient distance below the surrounding surfaces of the needle to effectually prevent injury to the yarn from the edges at the ends of the pivot-wire, such recesses being substantially segments of cylinders.

By the present improvements the knittingneedles are rendered much more reliable and durable and the risk of injury to the fibers of the yarn is reduced to a minim-um.

We claim as our invention 1. A knitting-machine needle recessed at the ends of the latch-pivot, and the ends of the pivot-wire dressed off to coincide with the surfaces of the needle at the bottoms of the recesses, substantially as set forth.

2. A knitting-machine needle having a circular recess at each end of the latch-pivot and the end of the pivot-wire coinciding with the bottom surfaces of the recesses, substantially. as specified.

3. A knitting-machine needle recessed in its sides and at the ends of the latch-pivot, and the ends of the pivot-wire spread and c0- inciding with the bottom surfaces of the recesses, substantially as specified.

Signed by us this 2d day of June, 1897.

HERMAN W. IIUKE. FREDERICK P. W'ESTON.

Witnesses:

JOHN F. ALVORD, OLIVE B. VINCENT. 

